Pick Up a Flute — It’s New York’s Third Annual Champagne Week

November 10, 2015

Find a flute this week — it's all about Champagne.Lauren Mowery for the Village Voice

Drinking Champagne helps prevent Alzheimer’s disease and dementia. You probably saw this headline reposted the past few days on Facebook by your rejoicing friends. Not to be the bearer of bad news, but if you read through the specifics of the study, blanc de blancs (chardonnay only) doesn’t count. Only drinkers of blanc de noirs (red grapes only) or Champagne made with the traditional trio of chardonnay, pinot noir, and pinot meunier stand to gain any health benefits due to a compound found in those red varieties.

One more point: Most outlets initially reported that you need to drink three glasses a day to gain the benefits. That’s expensive preventative care ($30 is practically the cheapest Champagne available), especially if you develop alcoholism along the way. Media sites that updated the story to “three glasses a week” either reported it wrong to begin with or have amended it to be socially responsible. Basically, this “news” is useless.

Now, let’s move on to something that is useful: details of Champagne Week. The media barrage couldn’t have been more perfectly timed, as it coincides with the commencement of New York’s third annual week-long celebration of the beloved French bubbles. Wine and spirits special events planner and owner of CitySip.com Blaine Ashley founded the event to debunk the myth that Champagne should only be consumed on special occasions. To that end, she’s created a multi-day fête filled with fun and educational consumer and industry events.